Battery terminal



Patented Sept. 23, 1941 BATTERY TERMINAL Agnar Johnson, Rockford, Ill., assigner of onethird to Harold B. Faith and one-third to Arthur L. Nelson, both of Rockford, lll.

Application April 19, 1941, Serial No. 389,356

This invention relates to a new and improved 9 Claims.

battery terminal.

It is very diicult to remove the conventional clamp type battery terminal from the post, due to the comparative inaccessibllity of the nut on the clamping bolt and the fact that there is lusually enough corrosion to make loosening of the bolt and removal of the terminal diicult. I am aware that a number of terminals have been devised employing cam means for clamping purposes with a view to quicker release and removal from the battery. However, many of these constructions were impractical either because of there being no provision for adjustability to adapt the terminal to different sized posts, or because the adjustments provided were not of a practical nature and it would take too long, therefore, to apply the terminal properly- It is, therefore, the principal object of my invention to provide a battery terminal of simple and practical construction, embodying quickly and easily adjustable cam means to facilitate the application and removal of the terminaljregardless of variation in the size of the posts on which the terminal may be used.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a top view of a battery terminal made in accordance with my invention, showing the same applied to the post of a battery with a cable attached thereto, and

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section.

The same reference numerals areapplied to corresponding parts in these views.

The reference numeral 3 designates the terminal generally' .and 4 one of the posts of the storage battery 5 on which the terminal is shown applied. A wire cable 6 serves as an electrical conductor extending from the terminal. The terminal comprises a main bifurcated body member 1, the arms 8 and 9 of which serve as guides for the slidable block Ill. 'I'he latter has jaw portions II on opposite sides thereof slidable on the top and bottom of the arms 8 and 9. The

'body member 1 is preferably split longitudinally of its tubular end portion I2, as indicated at I3, and the end portion of the cable is entered in this tubular portion and secured in place partly by the rivets I4, which fasten the halves of the portion I2 together, and partly by the fact that the inner end of the cableis flared and filled with solder, the flared portion tting wedgingly in the flared inner end I6 of the bore I1 of the tubular end portion I2. The body 1 has the crotch portion I8 formed to provide a nearly half round bearing surface for engagement with one side of the battery post, and the slidable block I0 has a complementary nearly half round bearing surface I9 provided thereon for engagement with the opposite side of the post, so that very little space is left in which corrosion can occur between the portions I8 and i9 on `opposite sides of the post when the terminal is applied, and it is also apparent that the inner end I5 of the cable 6 is disposed in full engagement .with the battery post under these circumstances for good conduction of electrical current.

The slidable block I0, in accordance with my invention, is arranged to be clamped tightly against the battery post, while the main body member 1 is drawn tightly against the opposite side of the post by cam action of an oscillatable and rotatably adjustable cam 20. The'cam 20 is of nearly semi-spherical form, a radius thereof being indicated at 20 in Fig. 2, and is provided as a head portion on a bolt 2|, which is threadedly adjustable in the transverse hole 2l"in"a block 22 pivotally mounted in the outer `endsof the arms 8 and 9 by means of trunnions v23 v'on the block entered in holes 24 in-thel arms? *These trunnions can be entered in theholes prior to the riveting of the terminal halves ltogether at I4. The bolt 2I has a reduced smooth shank portion 25 over which is pressed fa sleeve 26 of electrical insulating material. The insulation covered shank 25 of the bolt serves as a lever by means of which the 'cam 20 is arranged to be oscillated, either to clamp the terminal 3 on the post 4 or remove the same therefrom. This shank portion 25 also serves as a means for threadedly adjusting the cam 20 relative to the block 22 to enable clamping the terminal on the post more tightly or adjust the terminal for application to a different sized post. The semi-spherical form of the cam adapts it to use in any position of rotary adjustment, and it should be evident that it takes very little time to make a satisfactory adjustment, inasmuch as only a fraction of a turn is usually enough to get thedeslred results.

The operator can tell easily enough forced into clamping position whether the terminal is clamped as tightly as it should be, and in the event it is not tight enough, the bolt 2l can be given a fraction of a turn to adjust the cam 20 inwardly toward the slidable block III, after which the cam will cause a tighter clamping action when moved into the dead center operative position indicated by center line c-d in Fig. 2. If the operator in adjusting the cam by rotation of the bolt 2| adjusts it too far and is unable to move'the cam to the dead center position, that is easily rectified by turning the bolt slightly in the opposite direction. 'I'he insulation covering 26 on the shank 25 of the bolt eliminates any danger of short circuiting the battery. No matter how long the terminal is left applied to a battery, it can be removed quickly and easily by pulling upwardly on the bolt 2| so as to retract the cam from the slidable block I0, whereupon the terminal can be lifted off the post easily.

It is believed the foregoing description conveys a good understanding of the objects and advantages of my invention. The appended claims have been drawn to cover all legitimate modifications and adaptations.

I claim:

1. A battery terminal comprising a bifurcated body member, providing a crotch-portion between the arms thereof for engagement with one side of a battery post, a block guided for sliding movement between said arms for clamping engagement with the opposite side of said post, another block pivotally mounted between said arms, and a spherically conformed cam threadedly mounted in the pivoted block in transverse relation to the pivotal axis thereof for adjustment toward and away from the slidable block, with the spherical surface thereof in eccentric relation to the pivotal axis of said pivoted block and arranged to have infinitely adjustable slidable wedging engagement with the adjacent surface of the slidable block. 2. A battery terminal comprising a bifurcated body member, providinga crotch-portion between the arms thereof for engagement with one side of a battery post, a block guided for sliding move- I block and arranged to have infinitely adjustable slidable wedging engagement with the adjacent surface of the slidable block, said shank projecting outwardly from the pivoted block, and an elongated actuating lever on the projecting portion of said shank for oscillating said cam with said pivoted block.

3. A battery terminal comprising a bifurcated body member, providing a crotch-portion between the arms thereof for engagement with one side of av battery post, a block guided for sliding movementbetween said arms for clamping engagement with the opposite side of said post, a pivot block yhaving coaxial trunnions projecting from the opposite ends thereof pivotally engaged in registering holes provided therefor in the end portions of said arms, said bifurcated body member being split longitudinally of the crotch-portion thereof to permit entry of the ,trunnions in ment between said arms for clamping engagement the holes prior to assembly of the body halves together, means for securing the bodyhalves together with the slide block and pivot block assembled between the arms thereof, and ya. spherically conformed cam threadedly mounted in the pivoted block in transverse relation to the pivotal axis thereof for adjustment toward and away fromthe slidable block, with the spherical surface therebf in eccentric relation to the pivotal axis of said pivoted block and arranged to have slidable wedging engagement with the adjacent surface of the slidable block.

4. A battery terminal as set forth in claim 3, wherein the body member at the crotch end of said body member has each of its halves conformed to provide a half round, elongated, tubular portion, whereby to provide between said portions a bore for'reception of the end portion of a cable to be attached to the terminal, and a cable having the end portion thereof entered in said bore, the means for fastening the body halves together being entered through said portions to secure the cable end portion therebetween.

5. A battery terminal as set forth in claim 3, wherein the body member at the crotch end of said body member has each of its halves conformed to provide a half round, elongated, tubular portion, whereby to provide between said portions a bore for reception of the end portion of a cable to be attached to the terminal, and a cable having the end portion thereof entered in said bore, the means for fastening the body halves together being entered through said portions to secure the cable end portion therebetween, the inner end of the bore being flared, and the inner end of the cable being flared to iill the ared end of the bore to resist removal of the cable from the bore, while establishing contact between the cable and the battery post to which the terminal is applied.

6. A battery terminal as set forth in claim 3, wherein the body member at the crotch en'd of said body member has each of its halves conformed to provide a half round, elongated, tubular portion, whereby to provide between said portions a bore for reception of the end portion of a cable to be attached to the terminal, and a cable having the end portion thereof entered in said bore.

7. A battery terminal as set forth in claim 3, wherein the body member at the crotch end of said body member has each of its halves conformed to provide a half round, elongated, tubular portion, whereby to provide between said por,- tions a bore for reception of the end portion of a cable to be attachedto the terminal, and a cable having the end portion thereof entered in said bore, the inner end of the bore being flared. andthe inner end of the cable being flared to fill the flared end of the bore to resist removal of the cable from the bore, while establishing contact between the cable and the battery post to which the terminal is applied.

8. A.clamping device including a body member, a block pivoted thereon, and a spherically conformed camthreadedly mounted in the pivoted block in transverse relation to the pivotal axis thereof for adjustment toward and away from the surface of an object to be clamped, the spherical surface being in eccentric relation to the wedging engagement with the adjacent surface of said object, said shank vprojecting outwardly from the pivoted block, and an elongated actuating lever on the projecting portion of said shank 5 for oscillating said cam with said pivoted block.

AGNAR J OHNSON, 

